BlackBerry didn’t lose because it ignored ordinary customers. It lost while it was winning them over. Its cheap prepaid data plan, launched by Vodacom in December 2008, opened BlackBerry to millions of South Africans who couldn’t afford a monthly contract. Then Apple built a general-purpose phone on infrastructure that already existed, with an ecosystem BlackBerry…
Microsoft and G42’s planned digital investment in Kenya has become a case study in how large infrastructure deals can run into challenges tied to power availability, policy direction, and public interest. Unveiled in 2024, the proposed $1 billion-plus investment led by G42 and partners centered on a green data centre in Olkaria powered by geothermal…
Sub-Saharan Africa’s data centre roll-out is slowing materially and consolidation is intensifying, according to the latest African Interconnection Report from researcher Balancing Act, commissioned by Wiocc Group. The number of planned carrier-neutral data centres tracked across the region has fallen from 38 in last year’s edition to 23 — a 39% decline. The number of…
With war looming in the north of the country, Ethiopia threatens to make headlines again, as it has in recent years due to the wars, insurgencies and intercommunal violence that have raged across its highland core – in the regions of Tigray, Oromia and Amhara. Amid such large-scale violence, conflicts affecting minority groups in peripheral…
Under the deal, Vodacom is looking to acquire a 30% stake in the newly-created Maziv. While the Competition Commission (CompCom) recently put the R14 billion merger deal between Vodacom and Maziv back on the table, smaller internet service providers (ISPs) are still concerned about the implications of competition on their businesses. Earlier this month, the…
